matthew180
Experienced Member
I finally managed to get a 9-track tape unit, a re-branded CDC 92185, and I spent the weekend cleaning it up and replacing the deteriorated foam (full of 1-inch foam to help with noise, I suspect). Being a new tape unit owner, I'm now full of questions.
So I cleaned the tape path as per the manual and fired it up. It runs and passes a lot of the maintenance and diagnostic tests, but fails on some others. One of the errors is "03", which is "ID fault", and the documentation says:
"STU displays Fault Code 03 during Operator Test 1 due to a failure to read or write the PE identification burst at load point. The probable cause of this fault is damaged tape. The tape should be free of defects within the first six inches of tape after the BOT reflective marker."
* STU : Streaming Tape Unit
* BOT : Beginning Of Tape
I get this error when I use brand new tapes (I have sealed new-old stock, 3M 703 and 700 Black Watch tapes). However, when I use a tape (also 3M brand) that came with the unit and had data on it from back when it was in service, it passes this particular test, but fails on a different test later in the procedure.
This makes me wonder if new tapes need to be initialized or formatted in any way? Where, where, how is this PE Identification Burst written? I don't see any mention of such a process in the manuals, but I have never used an actual tape before. The description says "failure to read or write", but it does not say which, and that also hits that the test should be writing the PE Identification? Maybe since the tape with data probably has this ID already, it passes? I'm just guessing, and any information or insight would be greatly appreciated, and more questions to come for sure. ;-)
So I cleaned the tape path as per the manual and fired it up. It runs and passes a lot of the maintenance and diagnostic tests, but fails on some others. One of the errors is "03", which is "ID fault", and the documentation says:
"STU displays Fault Code 03 during Operator Test 1 due to a failure to read or write the PE identification burst at load point. The probable cause of this fault is damaged tape. The tape should be free of defects within the first six inches of tape after the BOT reflective marker."
* STU : Streaming Tape Unit
* BOT : Beginning Of Tape
I get this error when I use brand new tapes (I have sealed new-old stock, 3M 703 and 700 Black Watch tapes). However, when I use a tape (also 3M brand) that came with the unit and had data on it from back when it was in service, it passes this particular test, but fails on a different test later in the procedure.
This makes me wonder if new tapes need to be initialized or formatted in any way? Where, where, how is this PE Identification Burst written? I don't see any mention of such a process in the manuals, but I have never used an actual tape before. The description says "failure to read or write", but it does not say which, and that also hits that the test should be writing the PE Identification? Maybe since the tape with data probably has this ID already, it passes? I'm just guessing, and any information or insight would be greatly appreciated, and more questions to come for sure. ;-)